Earth ChangesS


Boat

Heavy flooding still affecting Ireland as Shannon River levels rise

Elena Ugrin
The Watchers
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:39 UTC
Ireland flooding
© Irish Times/Brenda FitzsimonsFlooding Carrick on Shannon.
Parts of Ireland experienced more heavy flooding on December 12, 2015 after more heavy rain battered the country. At the same time, water levels of the Shannon river system are still rising and are expected to peak over the next few days, the National Emergency Coordination Group reported.

Abundant amount of precipitation over the weekend of December 12, triggered floods in the counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Dublin area, while parts of western Ireland, in the Shannon river basin suffered the worst hit. Local media reported heavy flooding in the Corbally area of the Limerick city and parts of Athlone on the night of December 12 (local time).

The level of water flow from the Shannon river is expected to increase to 440 cubic meters per second (15 538 cubic feet per second) over the coming days, and lead to increased risk of flooding the roads and grounds of Springfield, Montpelier, Castleconnel, Mountshannon, Lisnagry and the University of Limerick.
Ireland flooding
© Irish Times/Brenda FitzsimonsFlooding along the banks of the River Shannon Athlone Town with the N6 motorway.
14 homes, a secondary school and numerous cars have been overflown in the Corbally area, and the main road passage from Co. Clare into Limerick was left under water. The road has been opened to traffic, following the initial flooding, however, numerous roads in the Castleconnel area have remained closed. Homes in the Richmond Park and the area of Ardscoil Mhuire secondary school reported flooding, as well.

Over 400 homes have been cutoff the power supplies, according to the local media. Residents between Chapelizod and Islandbridge in Dublin area were urged to remove their vehicles from underground parking spots and other low-lying areas last night.

Comment: Communities on high flood alert along River Shannon, Ireland

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Snowflake

NOAA: Winter storm warnings-watches issued for 15 U.S. states

Robert
Ice Age Now
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 22:12 UTC
NOAA map snow
© NOAA
Heavy snow warnings for parts of Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan and Maine.
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Arrow Down

Large sinkhole opens up on beach in Queensland, Australia

Shaya Laughlin
Gold Coast Bulletin
Sat, 12 Dec 2015 21:21 UTC
A large sinkhole has opened up at the northern end of The Spit.
A large sinkhole has opened up at the northern end of The Spit.
A large sinkhole has opened up at the northern end of The Spit about 5.30pm this afternoon.

The hole, about 5m by 7m in size, is surrounded by orange cones to warn beachgoers of a possible danger.

No one has been injured.

It is possible to get close to it but caution is advised.
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Attention

Dozens of dead birds found on Mississippi beaches


msnewsnow.com
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 19:56 UTC
pelican
© WLOX NewsWild at Heart Rescue workers are currently rehabilitating this pelican believed to be affected by the algal bloom.
It's a frightening sight along the coastline. First fish, now dozens of birds found dead on beaches in several coast cities.

"We got reports of several birds in the Gulfport area and after speaking with DEQ they got several more birds in the Biloxi area," said Missy Dubuisson with Wild at Heart Rescue.

Even in Long Beach, many species of birds have been found lifeless or clinging to life. Experts saying it all goes back to the unprecedented December red tide.

"Of course there probably has been this issue before on a smaller scale and we might have just had a bird or two that maybe came in and didn't make it, but we weren't seeing what we're seeing now," said Dubuisson.

Caretakers at Wild at Heart Rescue are currently rehabilitating a pelican who started with a hook injury, but is now battling respiratory distress due to the algal bloom.

"We have been informed that we cannot release him until the algae bloom is gone," said Dubuisson.

Comment: See also this recent report from the same general area: Widespread fish kill reported in Mobile Bay, Alabama

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Tornado2

Rare winter tornadoes touch down in East Texas, surprising residents and damaging 50 homes

Kiri Blakeley
Daily Mail, UK
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 16:05 UTC
texas tornado damage
© KETKThere are reports of at least 50 homes damaged in Lindale, Texas, including the one pictured here. Residents in the area said that there were no storm warnings and alerts were not sent out

Rare December tornadoes surprised East Texas on Saturday afternoon, damaging 50 homes, destroying a bridge and injuring two people.

At least one tornado, probably two, touched down around 4pm in Lindale, about 90 miles southeast of Dallas, according to KETK.

The mayor has issued a declaration of disaster for the city.

'We saw these clouds and these little tornadoes that were shooting down and then one hit the ground. We saw it hit the ground, witness Melissa Malone told the outlet. 'From there we called 911 and immediately alerted them and the sirens started going off.'

Eyewitness Autum Green spotted the twisters forming on Iron Mountain Road in Lindale and captured them with her cell phone.

'It was kind of cool watching it build up, but I was really scared,' Green said, adding that she normally gets weather alerts, but none came with the tornado.

'On the movie Twister where they had the two tunnels come through, they twirled around each other, that's what it looked like,' she said.

The National Weather Service did not send out warnings and people in Lindale were caught completely unawares, reports the outlet.

Comment: Another 'rare' winter tornado in the United States, just a few days after another one battered homes in Battle Ground, Washington. Last month another 'rare' tornado hit a Californian town, a massive mile wide tornado reportedly leveled a Halliburton plant and a tornado outbreak of more than 20 touched down across western Kansas, which was called "unprecedented" by a weather official.

Meanwhile other 'rare' tornadoes continue to strike all over the planet this year, including Northern Ireland, England, Australia, Hawaii and India.

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Attention

Massive sinkholes, landslides endanger northwestern Oregon neighborhood

Laura Gunderson
Oregon Live
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 07:01 UTC
Seven families in a cluster of hillside homes above the Tillamook River spent the past week watching the two roads they live on slip, buckle and tangle into a slide of rocks, mud and trees.

It began Monday as a few little cracks on Burton Hill Road, just outside Tillamook. By Wednesday the cracks had collapsed into a quarter-mile series of sinkholes and creeping mud that put three homes at risk, pushed a barn off its foundation and left homeowners fearful of what will move next.

As the rains continue, they say only one thing is clear: No one is coming to the rescue.
Oregon neighborhood
© The Oregonian
Oregon neighborhood
© Oregonian
Morgan Kottre, 27, said she and her neighbors - some of them relatives - have been told by county, state and federal officials that they don't qualify for assistance because Burton Hill Road and the lower Hillside Drive are private roads on private land. Same story from at least one insurance company. Kottre said a representative told one family the devastation qualifies as an "act of god," which the insurer doesn't cover.

"In theory, we could try to fight it," she said, "but right now we're just trying to fight the land." Storms over the past week that have brought flooding and landslides across northwestern Oregon. On Saturday afternoon, blizzard conditions closed three highways in Southern Oregon. The extreme weather has caused at least two deaths in Oregon and federal officials set early damage estimates at about $15 million.

Tillamook County was among the 13 counties where Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency. In fact, not far from Kottre's home on Saturday night, the town of Oceanside was cut off as the only road out of town was closed due to a failed culvert.
Oregon road
© Oregonian

Comment: At the end of October this year, there was a massive swarm of earthquakes about 250 miles away from Tillamook County: Swarm of 29 earthquakes in 24 hours near central Oregon volcanic complex

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Attention

Dead Minke whale found near Dutch island


dutchnews.nl
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 15:28 UTC
Dead minke whale
© Hans Eelman/EcomareDead minke whale found near Den Helder, Dec 13th 2015
A nine-metre long whale has washed up on a sandbank in the Wadden Sea, close to the holiday island of Texel.

The whale, thought to be a female Minke, has been dead for some time, experts at the Ecomare wildlife centre said. She probably washed up on the sandbank known as the Razende Bol where the water is shallow.

Researchers from Utrecht University will try to establish the cause of death and what the animal had been eating. Minke whales are one of the smallest species of balleen whale and common in the North Sea. They are a primary target for the whaling industry.

In December 2012 a humpback whale died after becoming stranded on the same sandbank.
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Attention

2015 has been the worst wildfire season in U.S. history


Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 14:48 UTC
fire wildfire
© Unknown
The nation is closing in on its worst wildfire season in recorded history, with nearly 9.8 million acres already burned -- the equivalent of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and part of New Hampshire going up in flames.

Two large fires and more than 160 smaller ones remain active, and more fires are expected to be reported before the month ends. Together, they're likely to push the 2015 total past the record 9.87 million acres burned in 2006.

The extent of scorched earth reflects a warming trend that has made the United States considerably drier, scientists and fire expects say, with less mountain snowpack particularly in Alaska and the southwest.

Comment: It looks like the US is going up in flames.

See also: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - November 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

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Tornado1

Over 700,000 flee as powerful typhoon Melor slams Philippines


Yahoo News
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 14:29 UTC
Typhoon Melor
© JAY DIRECTO / AFP - Getty ImagesMeteorologists from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration monitor and plot the direction of Typhoon Melor in suburban Manila on Monday
More than 700,000 people in the central Philippines fled to safer areas for fear of giant waves, floods or landslides as Typhoon Melor slammed into the archipelago nation Monday, officials said.

Melor brushed the northern tip of Samar, a farming island of 1.5 million people, early Monday with winds gusting up to 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, the state weather bureau said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Samar was among areas devastated in 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan, when giant waves wiped out entire communities and left 7,350 people dead or missing.

Authorities warned that Melor's powerful winds might whip up four-metre-high (13-feet) waves, blow off tin roofs and uproot trees. They said heavy rain within its 300-kilometre diameter could trigger floods and landslides.

In Albay province in the southeast of Luzon island, almost 600,000 people were evacuated due to fears that heavy rain could cause mudslides on the slopes of nearby Mayon Volcano, according to the national disaster monitoring office.

Residents carrying bags of clothes and water jugs clambered onto army trucks in Albay's Legazpi City as authorities sounded an evacuation alarm, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

Comment: A couple of months ago Typhoon Koppu brought massive flooding to the Philippines

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Attention

Seismic activity increases in Azerbaijan: 7,000 earthquakes in 2015

Nigar Orujova
Azernews
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:54 UTC
earthquake needle
Seismic activity intensified in Azerbaijan as the country faced about 7,000 earthquakes in 2015.

Magnitude of more than 80 earthquakes ranged from 3.1 to 5.9, and tremors of 17 were felt, the Republican Seismological Service Center reported.

Azerbaijan locates in seismically active zone. Scientists believe that seismic zones with the potential to produce dangerous force cover the entire country, while the Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt passes directly through Azerbaijan.

An increase in seismic activity is observed since the beginning of the year in the northern part of Azerbaijan - in Oghuz, Shamakhi-Ismayilli, Shabran seismic zones, as well as in the southern part - the Talysh seismic zone, according to the center.
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